Microelectronic device fabricating method

ABSTRACT

A microelectronic device fabricating method includes providing a substrate having a beveled portion and forming a layer of structural material on the beveled portion. Some of the structural material can be removed from the beveled portion by anisotropic etching to form a device feature from the structural material. The device feature can be formed on the beveled portion as with a pair of spaced, adjacent barrier material lines that are substantially void of residual shorting stringers extending therebetween. Structural material can be removed from the beveled portion to form an edge defined feature on a substantially perpendicular edge of the substrate. The beveled portion and perpendicular edge can be part of a mandril. The mandril can be removed from the substrate after forming the edge defined feature.

RELATED PATENT DATA

This patent resulted from a divisional application of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 09/444,280, filed on Nov. 19, 1999 now U.S. Pat.No. 6,232,229.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This invention relates to methods of fabricating microelectronicdevices, to integrated circuits, and to intermediate constructions ofintegrated circuits.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

When fabricating microelectronic devices, integrated circuits, and thelike, successive layers of various materials are often formed over asubstrate and portions of such materials are removed to yield thedesired device features. Generally, only the first few layers aredeposited on a completely planar surface. Thereafter, fabrication ofdevice features begins and successive layers are formed over featuresand/or portions of the substrate of varying topography. Such changes intopography may be referred to as steps, gaps, lines, etc. Layers ofmaterial subsequently formed over such features may be said to possess ahorizontal portion, generally parallel to the original planar substrate,and a vertical portion, generally perpendicular to the original planarsubstrate. Anisotropic, or directional, etching of such subsequentlayers often is ineffective in completely removing the vertical portionof such layers. Accordingly, frequently a horizontal portion of a layermay be almost entirely removed while the vertical portion is largelyunaffected. Essentially, such processing leaves a residual wall formedfrom the remaining vertical portion of the layer.

In some circumstances, the residual wall must be removed to yield thedesired structure. For example, when forming conductive lines it iscommon to deposit a layer of barrier material over varying topography toprotect against chemical reaction or diffusion. Thereafter, a layer ofconductive material is formed. The two layers of material are thenpatterned to remove unwanted portions and leave behind a pattern ofconductive lines comprising the barrier material and the overlyingconductor. Anisotropic etching is often used to remove the undesiredmaterial. Unfortunately, a residual wall of one or both of the twolayers is often left behind as a vertical portion of such layers. Inthis context, such residual walls may be referred to as shortingstringers. Such shorting stringers extend between conductive lines,resulting in electrical shorts. Accordingly, additional effort may beundertaken to remove shorting stringers and to avoid defects resultingtherefrom.

In other circumstances, residual walls from a vertical portion of alayer may be used to an advantage. An edge defined feature (EDF) is amaterial that remains as a residual wall after anisotropic etching. Thewidth of an EDF may be controlled by selecting the thickness of thedeposited layer from which it resulted. The height of an EDF may becontrolled by the height of the feature over which it was formed toyield the vertical portion. Accordingly, an EDF may be sublithographic.The original feature on which an EDF is formed may subsequently beremoved to yield a freestanding EDF. The original feature essentiallymay act as a core around which the EDF is shaped and may be referred toas a mandril.

Despite the advantages of an EDF, there remain difficulties inprocessing. For example, generally it is not desired that every verticalportion remaining after anisotropic etching of a deposited layerfunction as an EDF. Accordingly, a subsequent mask of intended EDFs andetching of undesired vertical portions is required.

It would be an improvement in the art if the mask and etch step requiredto fully define an EDF could be eliminated, simplifying the formationprocess. It would also be an improvement to remedy the problem ofshorting stringers or other residual walls that remain after anisotropicetching. Unless such difficulties are resolved, the processing methodsdescribed above will continue to require additional process steps toaddress such residual material.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In accordance with an aspect of the invention, a microelectronic devicefabricating method includes providing a substrate having a beveledportion, forming a layer of structural material on the beveled portion,and removing some of the structural material from the beveled portion byanisotropic etching to form a device feature from the structuralmaterial. By way of example, only a portion of the structural materialmay be removed from the beveled portion such that a device feature isformed on the beveled portion. Such a device feature may include a pairof spaced, adjacent barrier material lines that are substantially voidof residual shorting stringers extending therebetween. Also, aneffective amount of the structural material may be removed from thebeveled portion while remaining structural material forms an edgedefined feature.

According to another aspect of the invention, an integrated circuitincludes a semiconductive substrate, a layer of dielectric material overthe substrate having a beveled edge, and a pair of spaced, adjacent,chemical reaction or diffusion barrier material lines. The lines extendover the beveled edge and are substantially void of residual shortingstringers.

In accordance with yet another aspect of the invention, an intermediateconstruction of an integrated circuit includes a semiconductivesubstrate and a raised mandril over the substrate. The mandril has abeveled edge and an edge substantially perpendicular to the substrate. Alayer of structural material forms an edge defined feature on theperpendicular edge.

Other aspects of the invention may be apparent from the detaileddescription of preferred embodiments below.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Preferred embodiments of the invention are described below withreference to the following accompanying drawings.

FIGS. 1A-C are enlarged sectional and top views of a prior art waferportion at one processing step.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged top view of a prior art exposure mask portion.

FIGS. 3A-B are enlarged sectional views of the wafer portion of FIGS.1A-C at a process step subsequent to that depicted in FIGS. 1A-C.

FIGS. 4A-B, 5A-B, 6A-C, 7A-B, 8A-B, and 9A-C are enlarged sectional andtop views of the wafer portion of FIGS. 3A-B, each subsequently numberedset of figures being at a process step subsequent to that depicted byits preceding numbered set of figures.

FIGS. 10 and 11 are enlarged top views of exposure mask portions inaccordance with the invention.

FIGS. 12A-B are enlarged sectional views of the wafer portion of FIGS.1A-C at a processing step subsequent to that depicted by FIGS. 1A-C inaccordance with the invention.

FIGS. 13A-B, 14A-B, 15A-C, and 16A-B are enlarged sectional and topviews of the wafer portion of FIGS. 12A-B, each at a processing stepsubsequent to that depicted by its preceding numbered set of figures.

FIGS. 17A-C are enlarged sectional and top views of a prior artsemiconductor wafer at one processing step.

FIGS. 18A-C are enlarged sectional views of the wafer portion of FIGS.17A-C at a subsequent processing step.

FIGS. 19A-B are enlarged sectional views of a wafer portion at oneprocessing step in accordance with the invention.

FIGS. 20A-B are enlarged sectional views of the wafer portion of FIGS.19A-B at a subsequent processing step.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

This disclosure of the invention is submitted in furtherance of theconstitutional purposes of the U.S. Patent Laws “to promote the progressof science and useful arts” (Article 1, Section 8).

FIGS. 1A-C and 3A-B through 9A-B depict a wafer portion 10 in aconventional process. Wafer portion 10 of FIGS. 1A-C includes asubstrate 12 having a layer of an insulative material 14 formed thereonand a layer of a resist 16 formed on insulative material 14. In thecontext of this document, the term “semiconductor substrate” or“semiconductive substrate” is defined to mean any constructioncomprising semiconductive material, including, but not limited to, bulksemiconductive materials such as a semiconductive wafer (either alone orin assemblies comprising other materials thereon), and semiconductivematerial layers (either alone or in assemblies comprising othermaterials). The term “substrate” refers to any supporting structure,including, but not limited to, the semiconductive substrates describedabove.

Wafer portion 10 may be exposed to actinic radiation using an exposuremask 20 illustrated in FIG. 2. Exposure mask 20 includes a blockingshape 21 and a transparent region 23. Assuming resist 16 is a positiveresist, use of exposure mask 20 will yield a wafer portion 30illustrated in FIGS. 3A-B. A resist mask pattern 36 is formed afterdevelopment of exposed resist 16. Resist mask pattern 36 may thenfunction as an etch mask such that subsequent etching will produce awafer portion 40 of FIGS. 4A-B. Etching thus forms a mandril 44 a in apatterned insulative material 44. Mandril 44 a may then be used tofabricate an edge defined feature (EDF).

Formation of an EDF may involve depositing a layer of a structuralmaterial 58 over patterned insulative material 44 to form a waferportion 50 shown in FIGS. 5A-B. FIGS. 6A-C illustrate wafer portion 60after anisotropic etching of wafer portion 50 to remove all but thematerial desired to form an edge defined feature. Accordingly, a waferportion 60 of FIGS. 6A-C comprises residual structural material 68formed on a perpendicular portion 44 b surrounding mandril 44 a. Becauseresidual structural material 68 surrounds mandril 44 a, a portion may beremoved to form an EDF. Removal of a portion is particularly pertinentwhen residual structural material 68 comprises a conductive material.Otherwise, a short is likely to exist within an EDF formed fromconductive residual structural material 68.

FIGS. 7A-B illustrate wafer portion 70 having a resist mask pattern 76formed over patterned insulative material 44 such that a portion ofresidual structural material 68 is exposed while other portions destinedto form an EDF are masked. After etching, a device feature 88 is formedas part of a wafer portion 80 shown in FIGS. 8A-B. A wafer portion 90illustrated in FIGS. 9A-B is essentially the same as wafer portion 80,except that mandril 44 a has been removed. Device feature 88 is leftover the remaining portion of patterned insulative material 44.

As can be seen from the above processing method, an additional mask andetch step may be needed to remove undesirable portions of residualstructural material 68 prior to producing a desired device feature 88.

Turning to FIGS. 17A-B, a similar conventional concept may beillustrated. A wafer portion 170 includes a substrate 72 shown as havinga perpendicular portion 172 a. A layer of a structural material 178 a isformed on substrate 172, reflecting the contour of perpendicular portion172 a. A structural material 178 b is also formed over substrate 172 andon structural material 178 a, also reflecting the contour ofperpendicular portion of 172 a. FIGS. 18A-C illustrate wafer portion 170after anisotropic etching to remove a portion of structural materials178 a and 178 b. As expected from anisotropic etching, wafer portion 180of FIGS. 18A-C includes a residual structural material 188 formed onstepped portion 172 a.

The nature of anisotropic etching often results in formation of residualstructural material 188. Formation of such material is particularlytroublesome when structural materials 178 a and/or 178 b may be termedan etch resistant material. That is, a variety of etch processes existand selection of a particular process may be influenced by a variety offactors. The etch resistance of a particular structural material is onlyone such factor. Thus, it is conceivable that an etch process will beselected that may be effective in removing certain areas of structuralmaterial but will be, to some degree, ineffective in removing otherareas of structural material. Residual structural material 188 is onesuch area. If structural materials 178 a and/or 178 b are conductive,then residual structural material 188 may comprise a residual shortingstringer. Such residual shorting stringers typically may be removed toavoid defects in a resulting device feature.

The disadvantages of conventional processing methods discussed above maybe remedied by the present invention. In one aspect of the presentinvention, a microelectronic device fabricating method. includesproviding a substrate having at least one beveled portion. Next, a layerof structural material may be formed on at least the at least onebeveled portion and at least a portion of the structural material may beremoved from the at least one beveled portion by anisotropic etching.Such a method may be used to form a device feature from the structuralmaterial.

Turning to FIGS. 19A-B, a wafer portion 190 is illustrated including asubstrate 192 having a beveled portion 192 a. Substrate 192 and beveledportion 192 a may comprise a variety of materials and structures. Forexample, substrate 192 may comprise a layer of insulative material overa semiconductive wafer. Substrate 192 and beveled portion 192 a mayfurther comprise other layers, materials, and combinations thereof.Beveled portion 192 a may be formed by the methods comprising one of thevarious aspects of the present invention or by other methods known tothose skilled in the art now or in some future time.

One advantage of beveled portion 192 a is that structural materialformed thereon may be etched much more readily compared to structuralmaterial formed on perpendicular portion 172 a shown in FIGS. 17A-B and18A-B. Accordingly, the incidence of shorting stringers on beveledportion 192 a may be reduced compared to the incidence of shortingstringer 188 on perpendicular portion 172 a. Due to the nature ofanisotropic etching, it is anticipated that the likelihood that shortingstringers may form on beveled portion 192 a will decrease as the bevelof beveled portion 192 a decreases. Accordingly, the bevel is preferablyless than or equal to about 45°. That is, the angle of the bevel ispreferably about 45° from horizontal or less. Clearly, some advantagesof the present invention may nevertheless be realized even when thebevel exceeds about 45°. However, for some etch processes, it may bedesirable that the bevel is less than or equal to about 45°.

Another advantage of providing beveled portion 192 a is that improvedcontrol of feature size may be realized. The existence of residualstructural material 188 on wafer portion 180 in FIG. 18A may warrantextended etching to alleviate the problem of shorting stringers.Extended etching can damage or distort device features formed fromstructural materials 178 a and 178 b. Beveled portion 192 a allowsstructural material formed thereon to be etched more readily. Thus,extended etching can be reduced without concern for shorting stringers.In turn, minimizing the need for extended etching allows better controlof feature size and quality by reducing damage and distortion of devicefeatures.

A structural material 198 a of FIGS. 19A-B is one example of a suitablestructural material. A structural material 198 b is another example.Such structural material may be formed directly on substrate 192, andbeveled portion 192 a, or may simply be formed over beveled portion 192a. Successive layers of material formed over beveled portion of 192 amay generally provide at least some bevel. Ultimately a bevel may beprovided in an outermost layer exposed to anisotropic etching as well asunderlying layers. Accordingly, when substrate 192 comprises a layer ofinsulative material over a semiconductive wafer, it is preferred thatstructural material 198 a or 198 b be formed over the insulativematerial. Structural material 198 a or 198 b may also be formed on theinsulative material.

Because of the potentially wide application for the various aspects ofthe present invention, the structural material may comprise a variety ofstructures as well as a variety of materials. For example, forming thestructural material may comprise depositing a substantially uniformlythick layer of structural material over the substrate. FIGS. 19A-Billustrate each of structural materials 198 a and 198 b as such a layer.Structural material 198 a may comprise a chemical reaction or diffusionbarrier material. Such a barrier material may be conductive. Suchbarrier materials may be used to protect underlying substrate 192 fromchemical reaction with layers subsequently formed or from othersubstances with which substrate 192 is exposed. Such a barrier materialmay also prevent boron diffusion or other diffusion of unwanted speciesfrom subsequently formed layers into substrate 192. Structural materialin 198 b may comprise a conductive material used to form conductivelines in an integrated circuit or other microelectronic device. Barriermaterials may comprise a variety of metal comprising oxides or metalcomprising nitrides. One common example includes titanium nitride.

In one aspect of the present invention, the removing of structuralmaterial may comprise removing only a portion of the structural materialfrom the at least one beveled portion to leave a pair of spaced,adjacent structural material lines on the at least one beveled portion.Turning to FIGS. 20A-B, a portion of structural materials 198 a and 198b has been removed from substrate 192 and beveled portion 192 a to forma space. Accordingly, it is conceivable that structural material 198 aand 198 b could form a pair of spaced, adjacent structural materiallines on beveled portion 192 a.

Conventionally, difficulty has been encountered in forming lines ofchemical reaction or diffusion barrier material over lines, gaps, andother topography generically represented by perpendicular portion 172 aof FIGS. 17A-B. During anisotropic etching to form spaced, adjacentbarrier material lines, residual structural material 188 often remainsfollowing the etch. Such residual structural material 188 thus formsshorting stringers between barrier material lines. However, barriermaterial formed on beveled portion 192 a may be etched to provide adevice feature comprising a pair of spaced, adjacent, chemical reactionor diffusion barrier material lines which are substantially void ofresidual shorting stringers extending therebetween.

FIG. 20B illustrates that beveled portion 192 a of substrate 192 isexposed following the etch of wafer portion 190 to form wafer portion200. Of course, another aspect of the present invention alternativelyprovides that removing only a portion of the structural material frombeveled portion 192 a by anisotropic etching may be used to form otherdevice features from the structural material on beveled portion 192 a.Accordingly, the present invention is not limited to formation ofstructural material lines on beveled portion 192 a. The variousstructural materials described above, including chemical reaction ordiffusion barrier materials, may preferably be anisotropically etchedafter forming a resist mask pattern over the structural material and,with the masked pattern in place, performing the etch.

In keeping with the above described methods, an integrated circuit maybe formed comprising a semiconductive substrate and a layer ofdielectric material over the substrate. The dielectric material may havea base surface and a raised surface, the raised surface being raised outfrom the base surface and having at least one beveled edge and a stepparallel to the base surface. A pair of spaced adjacent, chemicalreaction or diffusion barrier material lines are further included with aportion extending over the at least one beveled edge from the basesurface to the step of the raised surface. The spaced lines may besubstantially void of residual shorting stringers extendingtherebetween. FIG. 20A illustrates substrate 192 as having a basesurface 192 b and a raised surface 192 c. Raised surface 192 c is raisedout from base surface 192 b and includes beveled portion 192 a asdescribed above. Raised surface 192 c further provides a step 192 dparallel to base surface 192 b. Structural materials 198 a and 198 b maycomprise chemical reaction or diffusion barrier material and may bepatterned to provide a pair of spaced, adjacent lines with a portionextending over beveled portion 192 a from base surface 192 b to step 192d of raised surface 192 c.

As illustrated in FIGS. 20A-B wafer portion 200 is substantially void ofresidual shorting stringers. The flow of current depends on thecross-sectional area of a conductor carrying such current. There may besome tolerance, depending on the application, for shorting stringersconducting negligible amounts of current in comparison to the currentconducted through barrier material and/or associated conductive lines.

Turning to FIGS. 12A-12B, another aspect of the present invention isillustrated. As indicated above, a variety of substrates having abeveled portion may be of use in the present invention. In one exemplarymicroelectronic device fabricating method, a resist mask pattern may beformed on a substrate. The resist pattern may have at least one beveledportion at an edge of at least one opening in the resist pattern. Theresist pattern may then be transferred to the substrate to form at leastone beveled portion of the substrate. Subsequent processing proceeds asdescribed earlier, forming a layer of structural material on the beveledportion and removing at least a portion of the structural material byanisotropic etching to form a device feature.

Wafer portion 10 of FIGS. 1A-C includes resist 16 formed over insulativematerial 14 on substrate 12. FIG. 10 illustrates an exposure mask 100including a blocking shape 101 positioned within a transparent region103. Blocking shape 101 includes a graded portion 105 for exposing aresist to actinic energy providing gradated exposure. That is, gradedportion 105 includes alternating blocking shapes and transparent regionsspaced and otherwise positioned such that exposure intensity isincreased at the edges of blocking shape 101 compared to the center ofblocking shape 101. The advantage of blocking shape 101 is that exposureintensity to actinic radiation may be gradually increased over a desireddistance such that gradated exposure of a resist region occurs. FIG. 11illustrates an exposure mask 110. Exposure mask 110 similarly includesblocking shape 111 positioned within a transparent region 113 and havinga graded portion 115. Although different in structure from gradedportion 105, graded portion 115 provides similar advantages.Alternatively, an otherwise solid blocking shape (not shown) couldinclude openings formed therein of a designated size and position toaccomplish similar advantages. A variety of other structures, devices,and exposure methods may be used to provide gradated exposure of aresist to actinic energy, whether currently known to those skilled inthe art or later developed.

Exposure of resist 16 with an exposure profile similar to that producedeither by exposure mask 100 or 110 may produce a resist mask pattern 126of a wafer portion 120 illustrated in FIGS. 12A-B. Essentially, afterexposure of resist 16 using an appropriate exposure method, resist 16may be developed to remove a first region, revealing insulative material14, and a portion of a second region subjected to gradated exposure,without revealing the substrate. A third region is left in place. Thus,resist mask pattern 126 is formed on a substrate and a beveled portion126 a forms in the second region subjected to gradated exposure.

FIG. 12B further illustrates that the exposure profile imposed on resist16 produces a perpendicular edge 126 b with respect to the surface ofinsulative material 14. Forming resist mask pattern 126 produces atleast one beveled portion at an edge of at least one opening in resistmask pattern 126. The at least one opening occurs in the regions ofresist removed to reveal the underlying insulative material 14 duringdevelop. As discussed above for beveled portion 192 a, beveled portion126 a of resist mask pattern 126 preferably has a bevel of less than orequal to about 45°. Such bevel is indicated in FIG. 12A as angle 126 c.Nevertheless, angle 126 c may also be greater than 45° in keeping withthe above discussion.

Wafer portion 120 may be subjected to further processing to transferresist mask pattern 126 to insulative material 14 to form at least onebeveled portion of insulative material 14. Transfer of a resist profileto an underlying substrate may be performed according to any suitablemethod known to those skilled in the art at present or later developed.In one such method, transferring the profile of resist mask pattern 126to insulative material 14 can be accomplished by an etch process thatetches both materials. Some reactive ion etch processes can be capableof such an etch. If resist mask pattern 126 and insulative material 14are etched at approximately the same rate, then the profile produced ininsulative material 14 will substantially match the profile of resistmask pattern 126. As etch selectivity to insulative material 14increases, the effectiveness of the profile transfer tends to decrease.If an etch affects insulative material 14 exclusively, then it isunlikely that beveled portion 126 a of resist mask pattern 126 willtransfer to insulative material 14. Accordingly, transfer of a resistbevel to an underlying layer can be described by the expression:tan(resist bevel)/tan(substrate bevel)=etch rate_(resist)/etchrate_(substrate).

Turning to FIGS. 13A-B, a wafer portion 130 includes a patternedinsulative material 134 resulting from transfer of resist mask pattern126 to insulative material 14. Patterned insulative material 134includes mandril 134 a having a beveled portion 134 b. Transferring ofresist mask pattern 126 to insulative material 14 also transferred bevelportion 126 a into beveled portion 134 b. Beveled portion 134 b has abevel indicated in FIG. 13A by an angle 134 c. Angle 134 c is preferablyapproximately equal to 126 c, however, it is acceptable that the processof transferring resist mask pattern 126 does not produce angle 134 cprecisely equal to angle 136 c. Further, it may also be acceptable thata transfer process intentionally changes angle 134 c such that it doesnot equal angle 126 c. Angle 134 c is preferably less than or equal toabout 45°. Nevertheless, the advantages of the present invention maystill be realized when angle 134 c is greater than about 45° but lessthan 90°.

In one aspect of the invention, a substrate is provided with a basesurface and a raised surface, the raised surface being raised out fromthe base surface and having at least one edge substantiallyperpendicular to the base surface and at least one beveled edge. Inanother aspect of the present invention, a raised mandril is providedover a substrate, the raised mandril being raised out from the substrateand having at least one edge substantially perpendicular to thesubstrate and having at least one beveled edge. Further, transferringthe resist pattern may form a raised mandril from the substrate, themandril having four edges including two edges substantiallyperpendicular to a recessed portion of the substrate and two bevelededges. As indicated previously, the substrate may comprise asemiconductive wafer, accordingly, the perpendicular edges may besubstantially perpendicular to the semiconductive wafer.

Mandril 134 a of patterned insulative material 134 provides one of manypossible examples of a structure within the meaning of each of the abovedescriptions. Mandril 134 a is raised out from a recessed portion ofpatterned insulative material 134. Insulative material may comprise thedescribed substrate. Mandril 134 a includes two beveled portions 134 bor beveled edges. Mandril 134 a further includes two perpendicularportions 134 d or perpendicular edges. Perpendicular portions 134 c areperpendicular with respect to both the recessed portion of patternedinsulative material 134 and with the surface of underlying substrate 12.

Turning to FIGS. 14A-B, a layer of structural material is formed on theat least one beveled portion of the substrate. More particularly,structural material 148 is deposited in a substantially uniformly thicklayer over the entirety of mandril 134 a, including beveled portions 134b and perpendicular portions 134 d Alternatively, structural material148 may be formed on at least the at least one beveled edge and the atleast one perpendicular edge. The precise location wherein structuralmaterial 148 is formed will depend on the particular end result desired.As stated previously, structural material, including structural material148, may comprise a variety of materials including conductive material,and chemical reaction or diffusion barrier material, among othermaterials.

For the formation of spaced, adjacent barrier material lines, it may notbe necessary to form structural material 148 over perpendicular portions134 d. However, other device features may take advantage ofperpendicular portions 134 d to assist in formation of such features. InFIGS. 15A-C, structural material 148 of wafer portion 140 in FIGS. 14A-Bhas been anisotropically etched to remove at least a portion of thestructural material from the at least one beveled portion and to form adevice feature from the structural material. More specifically,structural material 148 has been anisotropically etched to remove aneffective amount from patterned insulative material 134 and mandril 134a, including beveled portions 134 b. An effective amount of structuralmaterial 148 is left on perpendicular portions 134 d to form a devicefeature 158 of FIG. 16B on wafer portion 160.

Device feature 158 may comprise an edge defined feature (EDF), amongother features. Such an edge defined feature may comprise conductivematerial as well as other materials. In another aspect of the invention,substantially all of structural material 148 may be removed from the atleast one beveled portion, but at least a portion of the structuralmaterial may be left on another portion of the substrate. Such otherportion may include perpendicular portions 134 d, among other portions.

It is an advantage of the various aspects of the invention thatanisotropic etching of structural material 148 removes such materialfrom beveled portions 134 b of mandril 134 a without additional maskingor etching. It is a disadvantage of conventional formation of EDFs thatan additional mask and etch step may be required as illustrated in FIGS.7A-B and the associated text above. Once the portions of structuralmaterials 148 are removed, mandril 134 a may be removed. Such removalmay leave patterned insulative material 134 being essentially planarwithout any substantial patterned portions.

As illustrated in FIGS. 16A-B, device features 158 remain after removalof mandril 134 a. Such edge defined features may be formed by methods inaccordance with the various aspects of the present invention. A portionof mandril 134 a may remain provided such is desired and/or any residualportions of mandril 134 a do not interfere with later performance ofdevice features 158. Of course, while anisotropic etching may bepreferred to accomplish the advantages outlined above, other methods maybe suitable to remove portions of structural material 148 while leavingbehind other portions to form device feature 158 or other devicefeatures.

In yet another aspect of the present invention, an intermediateconstruction of an integrated circuit includes a semiconductivesubstrate, a raised mandril over the substrate. The raised mandril maybe raised out from the substrate and have at least one edgesubstantially perpendicular to the substrate and have at least onebeveled edge. A layer of structural material may form an edge definedfeature on the at least one perpendicular edge. Further, the raisedmandril may comprise four edges, including two edges substantiallyperpendicular to the substrate and two beveled edges. The advantages ofsuch an intermediate construction are set forth above.

In compliance with the statute, the invention has been described inlanguage more or less specific as to structural and methodical features.It is to be understood, however, that the invention is not is limited tothe specific features shown and described, since the means hereindisclosed comprise preferred forms of putting the invention into effect.The invention is, therefore, claimed in any of its forms ormodifications within the proper scope of the appended claimsappropriately interpreted in accordance with the doctrine ofequivalents.

What is claimed is:
 1. A microelectronic device fabricating method comprising: forming a resist mask pattern on a substrate, the resist pattern having at least one beveled portion at an edge of at least one opening in the resist pattern; transferring the resist pattern to the substrate to form at least one beveled portion of the substrate; forming a layer of structural material on at least the at least one beveled portion of the substrate; and removing at least a portion of the structural material from the at least one beveled portion by anisotropic etching to form a device feature from the structural material.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the substrate comprises a layer of insulative material over a semiconductive wafer, the structural material being formed over the insulative material.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the bevel is less than or equal to about 45°.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein the transferring the resist pattern forms a raised mandril from the substrate, the mandril having four edges, including two edges substantially perpendicular to a recessed portion of the substrate and two beveled edges, the structural material being formed over at least one beveled edge.
 5. The method of claim 1, wherein the forming of structural material comprises depositing a substantially uniformly thick layer of structural material over the substrate.
 6. The method of claim 1, wherein the structural material comprises a chemical reaction or diffusion barrier material.
 7. The method of claim 6, wherein the barrier material comprises a metal comprising oxide or metal comprising nitride.
 8. The method of claim 1, wherein the removing of structural material comprises removing only a portion of the structural material from the at least one beveled portion to leave a pair of spaced, adjacent structural material lines on the at least one beveled portion.
 9. The method of claim 1, wherein the device feature comprises a pair of spaced, adjacent, chemical reaction or diffusion barrier material lines which are substantially void of residual shorting stringers extending therebetween.
 10. The method of claim 1, wherein the removing of structural material comprises removing substantially all of the structural material from the at least one beveled portion but leaving at least a portion of the structural material on another portion of the substrate.
 11. The method of claim 10, wherein the structural material is conductive.
 12. The method of claim 1, wherein the device feature comprises an edge defined feature.
 13. A microelectronic device fabricating method comprising: providing a layer of resist material on a substrate; exposing the resist to actinic energy providing gradated exposure of a second resist region; developing the resist to remove a first region, revealing the substrate, and a portion of the second region, without revealing the substrate, while leaving a third region in place to form a resist mask pattern on the substrate, wherein a beveled portion of the resist pattern forms in the second region; transferring the resist pattern to the substrate to form at least one beveled portion of the substrate; forming a layer of structural material on at least the at least one beveled portion of the substrate; and removing at least a portion of the structural material from the at least one beveled portion by anisotropic etching to form a device feature from the structural material.
 14. The method of claim 13, wherein the substrate comprises a layer of insulative material over a semiconductive wafer, the structural material being formed over the insulative material.
 15. The method of claim 13, wherein the bevel is less than or equal to about 45°.
 16. The method of claim 13, wherein the transferring the resist pattern forms a raised mandril from the substrate, the mandril having four edges, including two edges substantially perpendicular to a recessed portion of the substrate and two beveled edges, the structural material being formed over at least one beveled edge.
 17. The method of claim 13, wherein the forming of structural material comprises depositing a substantially uniformly thick layer of structural material over the substrate.
 18. The method of claim 13, wherein the structural material comprises a chemical reaction or diffusion barrier material.
 19. The method of claim 18, wherein the barrier material comprises a metal comprising oxide or metal comprising nitride.
 20. The method of claim 13, wherein the removing of structural material comprises removing only a portion of the structural material from the at least one beveled portion to leave a pair of spaced, adjacent structural material lines on the at least one beveled portion.
 21. The method of claim 13, wherein the device feature comprises a pair of spaced, adjacent, chemical reaction or diffusion barrier material lines which are substantially void of residual shorting stringers extending therebetween.
 22. The method of claim 13, wherein the removing of structural material comprises removing substantially all of the structural material from the at least one beveled portion but leaving at least a portion of the structural material on another portion of the substrate.
 23. The method of claim 22, wherein the structural material is conductive.
 24. The method of claim 13, wherein the device feature comprises an edge defined feature. 